MOBILE, Alabama -- Charter schools are a tool that can help save failing public school systems in Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley told an audience of high school students today in Mobile.

"It is not fair that some students in this state have to languish in a chronically failing school," Bentley said at a workshop for southwest Alabama high school leaders hosted by U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile. "So, it’s important for us to look at things like charter schools. We have to put our students first and give them the opportunity to get a good education."

Bentley commended public school teachers and said the state has made strides in recent years to improve education. But he said more changes are needed to keep state schools competitive.

"We need to help good schools become better, mediocre schools become good schools," Bentley told an audience of about 300 area students who gathered for the event at the University of South Alabama. "But there are some schools in our state that are failing. There are 63 systems in our state that have schools that are failing. Chronically failing, and they’re never going to get better. That is something we cannot tolerate. We have to do something to make those schools better."

"Almost every school in New Orleans is a charter school," Bentley said in an interview following his speech. "We don’t want people to think they’re the answer to everything because they’re not. But charter schools can be a last resort for failing systems."